Although I’m typically a purist when it comes to my sushi, I do enjoy a good hand roll from time to time. Apparently I’m not the only one. Just look at the crowd inside the new Temakira on a typical afternoon. It feels like the set of a Benetton commercial, filled with young skater punks, macho construction workers, well-to-do Newpor

When Garlic & Chives opened in December at Garden Grove’s Mall of Fortune, I thought, “Great! This will be a nice alternative to Brodard when the line there is too long.” And for a couple of weeks, it was. But apparently I wasn’t the only one thinking this. Or maybe the credit goes to Garlic & Chives i

For anyone who loves sushi, as I do, we’ve got it good here. Nowhere else in the United States – not New York, not San Francisco, nowhere – comes even remotely close to the quality of sushi widely available in Southern California.
And while Los Angeles has always been the sushi capital of America, Orange County is right

A small Peruvian restaurant opened recently in downtown Santa Ana. It’s somewhat hidden, but as you head down Third Street just west of Broadway, look for the heavy black door that looks like it might lead into a dungeon. You’ll also notice a wooden sign with conquistador-style lettering that spells Eqeko.
The restaurant is i

Apparently there’s something in Indian cuisine called “pav,” and it’s a lot like a Sloppy Joe. In fact, it’s exactly like a Sloppy Joe, only better than any you’ve ever had. At Adya, the quick-serve Indian restaurant inside the Anaheim Packing District, the pavs come in a variety of flavors, including o

It’s been three months since Din Tai Fung opened at South Coast Plaza, and the wait for a table can still stretch well beyond two hours, even on a Monday or Tuesday.
The Taiwanese chain is most famous for its Shanghai-style xiao long bao, aka soup dumplings, which are sometimes called juicy dumplings. Perhaps that has something to

There are lots of reasons to dine at the newly relocated Mi Mexico Lindo Grill in Santa Ana. Some come for the weekend karaoke and pitchers of cold beer. Others eye this place for breakfast, when the kitchen serves enfrijoladas.
But really, the best reason to come here is the house specialty called chamorro Mi Mexico Lindo, served for lu

Nam opened in August in Santa Ana. The cute new Vietnamese cafe across the street from Santa Ana College brings a refreshing, independent spirit to a shopping center dominated by the likes of Subway, Taco Bell and Carl’s Jr. Nam seats only about 30 diners, so at lunchtime it’s not unusual to encounter a short wait for a t

Who Song & Larry’s is a new Mexican cantina from the same conglomerate that owns Acapulco, El Torito and Chevy’s, chains whose watered-down Mexican food I have never championed. Their slogan at the new place is “Start with a shot. End with a shot!” The palapa on the patio feels inauthentic, surrounded by a paved parki

“What’s that smell?”
The air around my table has just turned sour. An acrid, pungent, invisible cloud sneaks up behind us and overtakes the entire dining room.
“What’s that smell?” I wonder again, whispering.
Just as I scrunch my nose, the head waiter happens by and hears my question, w

I got summoned to jury duty last month at the Orange County Superior Court in Santa Ana. Just before lunch, they called my name. I got thrown into the pool for a very high-profile trial. For our own safety, they gave us each a number and said we were to no longer use our names in the courthouse. The next thing they told us was, “This trial

You’ll notice even from a distance that Wei Shian Noodles stands out of its neighbors in the predominantly Asian shopping center anchored by 99 Ranch Market at Jeffrey and Walnut in Irvine. Most of the center’s tenants are restaurants, and to call the majority of them no-frills would be an understatement. This just helps distinguish

A steaming bowl of pho. Intensely dark coffee sweetened with condensed milk. Crusty baguettes slathered with aioli and stuffed with grilled pork and jalapeños. I find it hard to resist the lure of Little Saigon. I don't profess to be an expert on Vietnamese cuisine. I know only what I've learned from my travels to Hanoi, Hoi An, Hue and H

Editor's note: The Register is not identifying the restaurants involved in this report. Because nearly half of Orange County restaurants would not receive an A under the letter-grade system, the problem addressed here is widespread. Rather than single out specific eateries for violations, the goal of this column is to show a syst

I like beer as much as the next guy, but I don't always want one of those trendy IPAs or hefeweizens. Sometime all I want is an ice-cold Mexican lager served in a frozen mug rimmed with salt and chili powder, with a big chunk of lime already squeezed into the mug for me before it arrives. And that's why Los Arcos has become one of my favorite pl